If the destroyer was visible to the submarine when the torpedo was
fired, then the attack was a deliberate attempt by the Nazis to
sink a clearly identified American warship. On the other hand, if
the submarine was beneath the surface of the sea and, with the aid
of its listening devices, fired in the direction of the sound of
the American destroyer without even taking the trouble to learn its
identity--as the official German communique would indicate--then
the attack was even more outrageous. For it indicates a policy of
indiscriminate violence against any vessel sailing the seas--
belligerent or non-belligerent.
This was piracy--piracy legally and morally. It was not the first
nor the last act of piracy which the Nazi government has committed
against the American flag in this war. For attack has followed
attack.
A few months ago an American flag merchant ship, the ROBIN MOOR,
was sunk by a Nazi submarine in the middle of the South Atlantic,
under circumstances violating long-established international law
and violating every principle of humanity. The passengers and the
crew were forced into open boats hundreds of miles from land, in
direct violation of international agreements signed by nearly all
nations including the government of Germany. No apology, no
allegation of mistake, no offer of reparations has come from the
Nazi government.
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